Former director of the Central Bank Jim Nugent told the Mahon tribunal he had no expectation that £2,500, contributed to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern for legal expenses in 1993, would ever be returned. Fiona Gartlandreports.
Mr Nugent's contribution was part of a dig-out arranged for Mr Ahern in 1993.
He was asked for the money by Mr Ahern's solicitor Gerry Brennan, Mr Nugent said; he gave it to him in cash in the Berkeley Court Hotel. He said the issue was handled sensitively.
"Knowing the man [ Mr Ahern] I'd be extra sensitive about it . . . it must have been very difficult for him," Mr Nugent said.
He said he gave the sum in cash for confidentiality reasons. He kept cash "for paying various bills or wages". Mr Ahern thanked him for the contribution afterwards and also said that he would repay it at some stage, he said. It was repaid in September 2006.
"You can't have had much expectation of getting it; it was now about 12 years later," Henry Murphy SC, for the tribunal said.
"In all fairness you wouldn't," Mr Nugent replied. He came under pressure from counsel and the three members of the tribunal in relation to a receipt he sent to Mr Ahern when his contribution was returned in 2006.
Mr Nugent initially said he typed up the receipt on his laptop. However, Mr Murphy said the tribunal had eight identical receipts from the donors.
"I may have got the figures and the wording together . . . " Mr Nugent said.
Judge Gerald Keys said it seemed to him that somebody prepared all of the receipts on a typewriter and sent them out to the donors to sign.
"I'm not 100 per cent on it, I'll check it," Mr Nugent said.
He donated the returned money to the Cari Foundation, he said. Mr Nugent denied that he did not lodge the cheque to his own account because he never made the contribution.